In a speech on January 27, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona laid out his vision for education in America. Mental health support for students was at the top of his list. As the pandemic drags into a third year, he acknowledged that reopening schools was only the first step in promoting student well-being. He urged a concerted focus on mental health, with special interventions “for those students who felt the impact of the pandemic more bluntly than others.”

According to Cardona, “Our schools must…embed mental health supports into their day-to-day operations in new and innovative ways. Every child must have access to a mental health professional – whether through their school or through a community-based organization – and districts should use American Rescue Plan funding now to hire these critical staff and create more partnerships.”

You can read his full remarks here:

Secretary Cardona’s Vision for Education in America

Cardona, Miguel. “Secretary Cardona’s Vision for Education in America.” U.S. Department of Education, 27 Jan 2022, www.ed.gov/news/speeches/priorities-speech.